The Adam and Joe Show was an ironic pop culture sketch show written, presented and directed by the duo. The show found cult success during its four series between 1996 and 2001. The best-known segments featured hit feature films recreated with stuffed toys, British television shows parodied using Star Wars action figures, and Vinyl Justice, in which the pair invaded rock stars' homes and searched their record collections for embarrassing records.[1]

In 2001, he fronted the topical discussion show This Week Only, alongside Nick Frost and Lauren Laverne. Since the demise of The Adam and Joe Show, Cornish has continued to work in British television and radio as a presenter, writer and director, both with and without Buxton. In 2007, he and Buxton began presenting Adam and Joe, a radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music. This was put on hold during 2010 while Cornish directed Attack the Block; a new series began on Saturday 2 April 2011.

Cornish has made a number of behind the scenes documentaries/video diaries. They include Cornish following the making of Little Britain series 2, which was screened on BBC Three and is included on the Little Britain Series 2 DVD; a video diary of his brief cameo as a zombie, which appears on the UK Shaun of the Dead DVD; and Hot Fuzz: The Fuzzball Rally, where he followed his friends and collaborators, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg on the US press tour for their film Hot Fuzz.

There have been two cuts of the Fuzzball Rally: a 28-minute version was included on the Hot FuzzHD DVD (UK/US) and a 71-minute version was included on both the 3-Disc Collectors Edition DVD (US) and the Blu-ray Disc (US/UK) of Fuzz. The documentary caused the latter's certification to be changed from a 15 certificate to an 18 certificate, due to the very strong language the documentary contains.

Cornish has continued his work in television comedy, directing parts of the pilot of Modern Toss, and the pilot to Channel 4's Blunder. According to an interview in Word Magazine, he pulled out of directing the series of Blunder due to creative differences with Channel 4 and the production company. In early 2007, he directed the video for Charlotte Hatherley's single "I Want You to Know".

On 13 May 2011, Optimum released Attack the Block, Cornish's directorial debut, which was executive produced by his friend and collaborator, Edgar Wright, and produced by Film4, Big Talk Pictures, The UK Film Council and StudioCanal. The film is a science fiction action comedy horror film set in South London that pitches a gang of youths against an alien invasion. The film initially had no US distributor, but after the reaction of the press and attendees at the SXSW premiere,[2] the US rights were purchased by Screen Gems for theatrical release on 29 July 2011.[3]

He wrote and presented the BBC Radio 4 film programme Back Row between 2002 and 2003. In 2007, he made a brief appearance in Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz as a white suited and bemasked Scenes-of-Crime Officer named "Bob".